


I'll Be There For You

by sparkinside



Category: AFI
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-20
Updated: 2017-01-26
Packaged: 2018-03-02 12:07:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2811437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sparkinside/pseuds/sparkinside
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There are always lines, always limits, and learning when to cross them, when to risk it all can be the hardest lesson to learn.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I'll be chasing you the rest of my life

**Author's Note:**

> Nothing in this piece ever happened. I claim no ownership nor do I make any sort of profit from this, other than pride and a sense of amusement.

Slowly, he drummed his fingers across the white tablecloth, every once in awhile his eyes straining up to the clock hanging on the far wall. The soft murmur of the tables surrounding him filled his ears. He should have known this would happen.

He sighed. She was late again. She was always late. Why he kept expecting that to change, he’d never understand. But still he was here. Still he’d given her the benefit of the doubt again. It was stupid of him, he knew that, but it didn’t stop him from agreeing to meet her in the first place. He was a real fucking idiot.

Giving the clock one last glance, he pushed himself from the table. Coming had been a mistake. He had known it would be from the moment he’d gotten her message the day before. Why he refused to listen to his own sense of reason was beyond him as well. 

Leaving enough to cover the three cups of coffee he’d consumed while he waited, he pushed open the glass door of the small restaurant and stepped out into the darkened sidewalk. The air outside was slightly chilled, a sure sign that winter was on its way. He paid it little mind, pulling his light jacket tighter around his tall frame as he made his way into farther the night.

He shoved his hands into his pockets, staring ahead at the sidewalk before him. The streets weren’t crowded in any sense nor were they completely empty. He liked it that way – he wasn’t invisible but he didn’t stand out. Hardly anyone he passed paid him any mind, all too tangled in their own happenings. 

A half smile formed on his lips. Yes, the night had been as close to a complete disaster as he cared to come, but he would get over it. She didn’t really matter in the scheme of things. And now he had the rest of the evening to do with as he wished. No painful small talk, no awkward silences or clumsy, desperate sex he’d regret soon after waking the next morning. In a way, he was grateful she’d stood him up.

Though his car still sat in the restaurant’s parking lot, he continued down the sidewalk. He didn’t feel like heading home. Not just yet. He took a deep breath, taking in the sights around him. The city was beautiful at night. The soft glow of the street lamps, the shine from the lights of the signs advertising the various stores. He’d never bothered to notice any of that before; he’d been in too much of a hurry for this or that. Everything had just held a higher precedence than the world revolving around him.

He shook his head, laughing softly at himself as he continued down the sidewalk. What was wrong with him lately? Maybe he had been spending too much time in the studio, like Ron had pestered him about for weeks on end. He sighed, it wasn’t his fault they had been on a roll and he’d been hard pressed to break himself from it. The last record had taken them nearly three and a half years to put out and as happy as they all had been with the finished product, spending another three and a half years in the studio would drive all four of them completely mad.

But tonight had been one of the few nights he allowed himself off. True, it had partially been for the sole purpose of the night he’d planned to spend with her, but it was a night off. And now he had been left with the task of finding someway of filling it. 

The longer he walked, the thinner crowd on the streets became. He hadn’t bothered to glance at his watch, but he knew almost instinctively that it was growing late. The small voice in the back of his head urged him to give up the ghost and head home. There wasn’t much else he could do tonight, but the prospect of his empty apartment was something he wasn’t quite ready to face.

He allowed himself to loop once more around the block before he began his slow trek back to his car. It wasn’t the most beautiful of vehicles, older than he cared to think about and clinging to its last legs, but he had grown attached to it over the years. As silly as it sounded, the bag of bolts had become a part of him, much to the chagrin of his closest friends. 

He chuckled to himself as he climbed inside, being careful to shut the driver’s side door just so. It was a fickle thing but over the years he’d learned all its tricks. He’d grown used to it. Yes, he could afford a new car, he knew that. And he knew probably should, but letting go of something had never been a strong suit of his.

Absent-mindedly, he flipped on the radio. It wasn’t that he much cared what was playing, it was the fact that he needed some sort of background noise when he drove. He hated silence – why he couldn’t explain, but he needed the noise. It drove his bandmates crazy – it seemed to drive everyone crazy, but it was something they eventually had grown used to. Or at least they’d given up complaining about. It was something everyone eventually accepted as purely him.

The roads were relatively empty for this time of night, but then again long stretches of time on the road meant his sense of time wasn’t exactly on par with the general public. It was nice, really, having the road mostly to himself. For a moment he contemplated simply starting off in one direction and never looking back. He knew he never would, but he did have to admit the idea was alluring. 

Shaking himself from his thoughts, he pulled onto the main road, being his slow trek back to the small apartment he called his own. It wasn’t much, but it was home and that was enough for him. The restaurant wasn’t a long drive from his place, and in hindsight, he realized she’d picked for that very reason. She never had been much at subtly, and in the past it was one of the many things he’d found attractive about her. That and the fact she was quite inventive between the sheets. 

He laughed at this; Ron was always saying he thought with his dick. Maybe there was a fair bit of truth to that one. But that was something he would never admit to Ron. Never. Not when an “I told you so” would follow, and he knew it would.

Ron always had the keen, and often times annoying, ability to say any and everything that needed to be said, especially in regard to Adam’s habits, actions and behaviors. It was something he’d grown used to over the years. It had certainly worked to keep his ego in check and considering how fast paced his life had become, it was something Adam knew he needed. 

He’d made it nearly a block from his apartment when he found himself turning the car around. The empty apartment held little appeal at the moment. He quickly glanced at the clock on his dashboard. It was getting late, but he’d shown up at Ron’s far later. And besides, he knew his best friend wouldn’t mind the company.

It was another twenty minutes until he found himself pulling into the dimly lit driveway. He smiled as he noted Ron’s black Honda, still in desperate need of washing. The porch lights had been turned off, but there was still a soft glow emanating from the livingroom window. Putting the car into park, he slowly climbed out and made his way to the door.

He spent the next three minutes knocking on the door before footsteps sounded from within the house. “I’m coming,” he heard the familiar voice call. Warm, soft light poured out onto the porch as the door slowly pulled open, revealing the tall red head whose eyes were still glazed with sleep. “Do you own a watch at all, Carson?”

Adam chuckled and shrugged his shoulders, “You know I live for these moments.”

“Smart ass,” she quipped. “Well since you got me up for no reason, you might as well come in.”

He laughed once more, “And here I thought your mother had taught you manners, Veronica.”

Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly. “Watch it, pal. I’m still half asleep, I can plead temporary insanity if I murder you.” In all the years he’d know her, she’d always hated her first name. It might have had something to do with the fact that the only time she seemed to hear it was after they’d gotten into something they shouldn’t have and her mother gave them hell about it. Considering the frequency of their misadventures, he couldn’t quite blame her.

“You can’t kill me, you love me.” He batted his eyelashes for the effect.

“Leave the dramatics to Dave, you just look ridiculous.” She smirked and headed back into the livingroom, leaving Adam to follow her inside. He shut the door behind him before joining her on the couch. 

“Chris working tonight?” She nodded, cuddling back until the blanket that had been tossed to the side of the couch. He still found it odd that she was married, even after nearly five years. That probably had something to do with the fact that he’d been on the road for the better part of that time frame. He’d been there for the wedding. Hell, she’d tried to make him her maid of honor before he threatened to shave her head for the ceremony in retaliation. She’d backed down begrudgingly after that. But he’d been there. 

“He gets off around three, should be home around four-thirty,” she paused turning to look at him. “She stand you up again?”

That was the one thing he both loved and hated about Ron – she never beat around the bush. He sighed, leaning his head back against the back rest of the couch. “Yeah. And no ‘I told you so’s. I’ve done that quite enough on my own.” 

She smiled softly at him, shifting to settle her head against his shoulder. “I am sorry, you know. I mean, yeah she’s certainly not my favorite person and I can’t say I’m not glad she didn’t show, but I am sorry.” Ron sighed. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but fuck you know how to pick them.”

Adam chuckled, as much as he hated to admit it, she had a pretty good point. He’d never had particularly great taste in women; cute, pretty face, nice body, adventurous. He’d been chasing after the same type since his early highschool days. You think he’d have learned by now. “Remind me to call you the next time I need my ego brutally murdered.”

Ron grinned, looking up at him briefly, “That’s what I’m here for. Someone’s gotta kick you in the ass every once in awhile. Besides I’ve been doing it since the fifth grade, be kind of silly to stop now.”

“Yeah yeah.” Ron smiled, closing her eyes as she settled farther into his side. As he always did, Adam wrapped his free arm around her, resting his head against the top of hers. 

He’d always loved being able to just sit with Ron. As much as he enjoyed the banter and verbal ass-kicking, he cherished the fact that they could just sit together without having to really say a word. Their relationship was more than just well timed words and knowing just when to say them, and it was great knowing they had that.

“How’s life treating you?” she chimed in several minutes later.

“Not too badly. We’ve been in and out of the studio, things are coming along...”

“Not the band, Adam,” she interrupted, sitting back far enough so that he could fully see the knowing glare she shot him. “How are YOU doing?”

He stopped, softly chuckling as her words began to sink in. Sometimes it was hard to shut off the almost auto-pilot response he’d fallen into giving whenever anyone asked how he was. Most seemed only to care about when the next record would be hitting stores, not what was going on in his or any of their, everyday lives. “Sorry, forgot where I was for a moment.”

Ron simply frowned. “You do that a lot, you know.”

He sighed, “I know. It’s just – habit really, you know that. I’m fine, its nice to have a little down time. And besides, I have you to keep me in my place, so all’s good.”

“Someone has to because Lord knows you can’t seem to handle it on your own.”

“Hey now, I handle things just fine,” he cut in, cracking a small smile. “I just tend to take the more interesting route.”

A sharp cackle fell from her lips. “You could call it that.”

“I will then.” 

Ron merely shook her head. “What am I going to do with you, Carson?” 

With a bat of his eyes, he shot back, “Love me forever.” She shook her head, reaching over to gently hit his arm. “Hey now, play nice.”

“Since when do I play nice?” she asked with a cock of her eyebrow.

Shaking his head, Adam let a peel of laughter escape his lips. Ron soon followed suit, both leaning against one another, struggling to catch their breath. “Alright, alright, smart ass.” Ron merely grinned, resting her head on his shoulder once again. Silence fell between them once more. “So you’re holding up alright?”

With a soft nod of her head, she paused before answering his question. “Yeah. Work’s work. The kids can be a nightmare, but I wouldn’t trade them for the world.” 

For as long as Adam could remember Ron had loved working with children. And, truth be told, it hadn’t really surprised him at all when she’d chosen to become a teacher, though he never fully understood her reasoning. He’d never been great with kids. True, his experience with them had been limited, few of his friends had kids and he doubted working with Ron’s little brother really counted seeing as he spent most of the time trying to get the little boy to stop being his shadow, but he simply didn’t see himself working well with children, his or otherwise.

“So when are you going to have rug-rats of your own?” he joked, resting his arm on her side. He wasn’t completely sure why he’d asked the question. Hell, he wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer. The idea of Ron with kids of her own was...unsettling. Why, he wasn’t entirely sure. Adam knew she’d always wanted kids, knew she would probably be a mother someday. Maybe it was just the idea of knowing that when it happened she wouldn’t be the same old Ron anymore. She’d be someone’s mother. 

“Okay, now you’re starting to sound like my mother.” The look she shot him forced a smile to his face. That was his Ron. “And wipe that smirk OFF your face, Carson. That wasn’t a compliment.”

But his smile only grew.

“Fine, smart ass,” she grumbled, glaring at him a few moments more before softly smiling. “Actually a bit sooner than I’d planned.”

“A bit sooner than you planned?” Adam echoed dumbly. Something about that statement seemed off to him. Sooner than she planned, that would have to mean that...His eyes widened slowly as the meaning began to sink in. “You mean...”

Ron nodded softly, brushing the hair out of her eyes. “Yeah. We found out this morning. It’s been kind of...surreal.” 

Adam could only nod. Something seemed...off. That much Adam was able to register as he struggled to keep his own thoughts from racing. The smile on her face wasn’t reaching her eyes. It seemed, fake almost. Forced. And that honestly disturbed him. This wasn’t his Ron. She was supposed to be giddy, ecstatic almost. This wasn’t right. 

He placed his hand gently on her arm, her eyes flashing up to his. For a moment he could clearly see the uncertainty swimming in them before they clouded once more. In a very real way she was hiding from him and Adam didn’t like that at all. She’d never hidden from him before. The cold churning in his stomach only served to perpetuate his unease.

“Congratulations,” he whispered softly, unsure of how to react himself. This was something completely out of his depth. It was entirely foreign and that fact frightened him. Whether it was the mere fact that Ron was hiding from him or something more, Adam honestly wasn’t certain. 

“Thanks.”

The silence that fell over the two of them was tense, and he hated that. Hated the awkwardness. They had never been awkward before. Never. Ron could sense it too, that much he knew instinctively. The way she sat; her knees pulled up to her chest, her hands fidgeting with the frayed edges of the blanket wrapped around her, it spoke volumes for what was going on in her mind.

Several more tense minutes passed before he felt her relax somewhat, leaning herself lightly against him once more. He didn’t protest it, simply opened his arms to her. Ron needed him and Adam had never turned her away before, he couldn’t do that to her now.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When my muse comes to play, she really comes to play. This chapter has been sitting on my hard drive unfinished for several years now. This was something I never planned to leave unfinished. I am intrigued by these characters and want to see their story told. So we'll see how long my muse cooperates with that . Hope you enjoy.
> 
> As always this is a work of fiction. Never happened. I only own my original characters, the rest belong to themselves.

Monday mornings had never been a favorite of Adam’s, they always seemed to come far too quickly for his liking. Especially this particular Monday morning. He ran a shaky hand through his hair, he needed coffee and badly. Stumbling towards the kitchen, he groped blindly for the light switch. He swore the damned thing moved just to spite him. 

He finally found it a few moments later, continuing his stumble into the kitchen. His eyes fell upon the half filled coffee pot. It was stone cold and from the previous morning but he desperately needed the caffeine. He could always make a fresh pot later. A minute or so in the microwave and it would be good as new...Or well, close enough to it.

A hiss fell from his lips as the now steaming liquid passed them. Shit, he really needed to learn that the ‘beverage’ button on his microwave only brought third degree burns and a handful of curses. Dropping the mug onto the kitchen counter, he sighed. Just what he needed.

Somehow, though he honestly wasn’t sure how, he’d managed to get maybe four hours of sleep the night before. And, he thought with a grimace, he didn’t even want to think about how little he’d gotten that Saturday. 

True, he’d gotten used to sleepless nights, living on the road seven months out of the year off and on for the past thirteen years saw to that, but between worrying about Ron’s odd behavior and the odd dreams he’d been plagued with the night before he’d barely managed to get enough to function. The best he could hope for now was that the coffee would at least make him bearable. 

His eyes rolled over towards the clock on the coffee pot. Seven thirty-five. Jesus, it was far too early. With coffee mug in hand, he wandered from the all too small kitchen towards his even smaller living room. True, he could afford bigger and certainly better, but this was his home and he didn’t abandon things easily. Ron had always told him he was a stubborn bastard like that. He chuckled, she really had a point there. 

Settling on the well-worn couch, Adam leaned his head back and closed his eyes. He knew there was no way he’d be getting anymore sleep today, but maybe if he just forced himself to relax a bit he’d feel more rested. As well as he’d managed to function on little sleep, he knew he needed to have his wits about him today. It was the last day he’d have off before another long stretch in the studio and there was quite a few things he wanted to get done while he had the chance. Top thing on that list being paying a visit to Ron.

Ron had been a constant in his life for as long as he could remember. They’d grown up together, shared more than he’d ever shared with another living soul. She was the one person he could say he knew inside and out and that knew him the same way. And that was what made her subdued and somber reaction so jarring for him. This was something she had always wanted. She should have been singing from the rooftops; not laying in his arms, silent and uncertain.

He didn’t dare begin to explore his own discomfort at the situation. It had to be simply the fact that something was bothering her that made him so uneasily, so uncomfortable with the entire situation. This was good news. His best friend was going to be a mother, was finally getting the one thing he knew she had longed for. This was a happy thing. He would be an honorary uncle; all the best parts of the job without the responsibility of raising a child on his own. This was a good thing. She was just scared and therefore so was he. That was it. That had to be it.

Adam rubbed his free hand over the two days worth of stubble on his chin. Jesus, he was getting too old for this. And he certainly was no closer to relaxing than he had been half an hour ago. He grimaced as the brought the coffee mug to his lips. Great, now his coffee was stone cold. Perfect. 

Pushing himself up off the couch, he made his way back into the kitchen for round two of his caffeine battle. When the microwave chimed for the second time that morning Adam made sure to wait a few minutes more before taking his first, well second if he was going to be completely honest, sip of the morning. Much better. At least he’d managed to learn something that morning.

It took him a half an hour from that point to finish enough of that cup to even contemplate a shower, which he knew he desperately needed. Maybe this would offer him a clean slate, a fresh start. Or at least hide the fact that he was running on caffeine and not enough sleep. 

Ron hated the fact that he rarely slept, that he wasn’t taking care of himself. It was annoying really, sweet perhaps, but mainly annoying. He chuckled softly to himself; she’d been mothering him like that for as long as he could remember. Now she would have something, someone else, to mother. That thought unsettled him slightly. And that would never do. 

Grabbing the first set of clean jeans and a t-shirt he could find, Adam made his way into the bathroom. It took him a few minutes to get the water temperature to the perfect setting between the either freezing cold or scalding hot that his shower seemed to prefer. Shedding his clothes, Adam stepped inside. He closed his eyes and let the warmth envelope him.

 

Clean and vigor slightly renewed, Adam walked from his apartment to the small lot towards his car. It was early still, but he knew Ron was an early riser, something he had teased her about for years. She could be up until all hours of the night and still be up before seven. It was uncanny, really and upon occasion, rather annoying; especially if she decided that he should be up as well. She had always been evil like that. 

It was nicer outside than he had thought it would be. The jacket he’d grabbed on the way out of the door now seemed rather unnecessary. But, he figured, it was better to be safe than sorry. The last thing he needed was to catch a cold now. Their time in the studio was already tight to begin with; any changes to it now would only serve to create a bigger headache than was necessary. 

The drive to Ron’s was rather uneventful. The volume of traffic on the road was surprisingly light for this time on a Monday morning, cutting the normal half an hour drive in half. As he turned the corner of her street, Adam felt a surge of annoyance. Chris’ car sat idly at the top of the driveway. He made a conscious effort to shake the feeling off. What the hell was wrong with him? Of course he would be home; it was his house after all. And Adam liked Chris, most of the time anyway. He was good to Ron and that was all that he could ask for.

Adam pulled his car alongside the curb, letting the engine idle a minute before shutting it off. No time like the present, he thought. He climbed from the car and began his trek up the small sloping driveway to the front door. Adam raised his hand to knock on the door, startling slightly as it pulled open before his hand made contact.

Chris stood in the doorway, smiling. “Hey, is everything alright? You’re here awful early.”

“Yeah, sorry about that,” Adam started, running his hand through his hair, “Had a rough weekend and couldn’t really sleep. She awake?” He couldn’t shake the thought that this was a bad idea. He hadn’t thought any of this through. He never seemed to when it came to Ron. He never really had to. She was always there, no matter the time, no matter what else was going on. She had always been his rock. But things were different now. Everything was different and that scared Adam more than he cared to admit. 

Chris nodded, stepping aside to let Adam enter. “Yeah, she’s in the kitchen.” 

Adam smiled briefly in thanks before heading towards the back of the house. He shook off the annoyance that was creeping through him and worked to school his face into a calm facade. He caught sight of her sitting at the scarred wooden table, her shoulders tense and a weariness radiating around her that stopped him in his tracks. Something was very wrong.

Steeling himself, he knocked lightly on the door frame before walking into the room. Ron jerked her head up at the sound. “God, Adam you nearly scared me to death.”

He smirked and silently settled himself into the chair next to hers. “Not my fault you’re unobservant.”

“Fuck off.”

Adam threw a hand over his heart, “Language, young lady! Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?”

Ron laughed, rolling her eyes. “You are absurd.”

“And you wouldn’t have it any other way.” She looked calmer now, slightly more at ease, and Adam felt he knot in his stomach loosen ever so slightly but did not let himself dwell on just why that was. 

Sighing, Ron turned her attention back onto Adam, her eyes taking in the dark circles and still drying hair. Unconsciously, she reached up tucking an unruly curl behind his ear. He was taken aback by the jolt that coursed through him. “You alright? You look like you barely slept.”

Adam blinked for several minutes, trying to focus on her words. “Yeah, couldn’t seem to shut my brain off. Studio jitters,” he trailed off, his reasoning sounding weak even to his ears. What the hell was wrong with him? “And I figured you’d be up to annoy them away.” He cracked a smile, hoping to force her to do the same.

But she just stared at him, eyes scanning his face and full of concern. He knew that she hadn’t believed a word of it, she knew him too well. “What’s really going on, Ad?”

Adam shook his head, leaning himself back against the chair. “I’m fine. Just tired. It’s been a long weekend.”

Ron smiled softly at him, placing her hand on his knee and giving it an affectionate squeeze. “Still stuck on her not showing?”

He blinked in surprise at her words, “What? Oh yeah, I guess. That and just the stress of everything. You know me.” He shrugged and smiled. “I just mainly wanted to see how you were doing? You seemed, I don’t know, a bit off earlier. Are you okay?”

It was Ron’s turn to blink incomprehensively for several moments. “I’m fine. Just a bit discombobulated by it all. I mean, it’s a big change. A great one, don’t get me wrong. It’s just a lot to take in.”

Adam nodded, though he couldn’t shake the feeling that there was far more to the story than she was letting on. She was obviously not ready to say anything and experience taught him that pushing her would only cause her to pull farther away. So he would let it be. No matter how much it ate at him.

 

“Seriously, Adam, what the hell’s wrong with you?” Davey’s voice was laced with barely repressed frustration. And Adam couldn’t blame him. His concentration was shot. He was making stupid mistakes. Mistakes he _never_ made. And for the most part his band mates had been understanding. He got the usual shit from Hunter, the man could never leave well enough alone. But Davey and Jade had been surprisingly patient until that point.

“I don’t fucking know,” Adam hissed between his teeth, dropping his sticks and grabbing for the bottle of water he’d taken to keeping by his kit. He knew these songs, they had practiced them nearly to death before heading into the studio. He shouldn’t be constantly messing them up.   
He sighed, tightening the cap back onto the bottle and tossing it back onto the floor. “Let’s try it again.”

But several takes later it was clear that his head wasn’t in it. He growled in frustration, ripping the headphones off his ears. He was tempted to throw them across the room in a fit of temper but immediately thought better of it. He ignored the concerned and frustrated looks of his band mates and the rest of the studio crew and stormed for the door. He needed a cigarette and badly. 

It had taken three to calm his nerves enough to re-enter the studio. He muttered an apology and took a seat in the back of the studio, running his hands through his hair. He needed to get a grip. This was his life, why the fuck was he letting himself screw it up? He’d gotten so good at keeping his personal life out of the band. They had always been two distinctly separate parts of himself. And here he was letting something that he had no control over, no real say in, mess him up. It was ridiculous and he knew it. 

“You okay?” 

Adam shrugged. “Yeah, just tired.” 

Jade’s inquisitive eyes roamed over Adam, narrowing slightly, eyebrow rising. It was clear he didn’t believe a word Adam had spoken. Adam chuckled, the man never missed anything. It was annoyingly endearing. 

“I’m fine, Jade. I just needed a few minutes to get my head back in the game. Let’s get back to it.” He pushed himself up off his chair and made his way back into the recording booth, settling quietly behind his kit. 

The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur of noise and frustration. Somehow he’d managed to lay enough down to at least make the session not a complete waste, but nowhere near what he was capable of. Adam felt drained. 

_I just need to sleep,_ He told himself. Everything would be better once he actually slept. He was just tired and not thinking clearly. Once he’d slept it would make more sense. It had to. But his brain refused to shut off. He’d tried just about every trick he’d learned to force himself to sleep and nothing was working.

_This is ridiculous._ He couldn’t understand why he was so worked up. It’s not like he hadn’t handled change before. Sure it wasn’t his strong suit, _stick in the mud_ was how his mother had put it, but he could roll with change. It just took longer. But this felt different. And he couldn’t understand why. 

But it needed to stop. He couldn’t keep doing this. Not if he wanted to survive with any amount of his sanity intact. He just needed to let it go. Things were changing. That was all. It wasn’t like his world was ending. Ron wasn’t going anywhere. This was a good thing. This was what she’d always wanted. He was just being stupid and stubborn about this change. That was all it was. That had to be it. He would do better.


End file.
